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Horror/Scary games

Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 07:38 PM

I started playing the recently released "Blair Witch Project" game since I got it for free from EPIC. I was not impressed by the movie at all when it saw it way back when but I decided to give this game a shot since it was free and because I wanted to see if it had any kind of tense/spooky atmosphere. I'm only about an hour into the game so far but I actually like it. Has anyone else here played it? The absolute best horror/suspense games I've ever played are "Alien Isolation" and "FEAR". Both of those games gave me goosebumps several times when I first played them. It was a great adrenaline rush too!
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 08:11 PM

Alien Isolation is really good, but I can only handle the game in small doses. The intensity was so high I haven't gone back, and I made it about halfway through--just an uncomfortable feeling.
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 08:31 PM

It's funny, but I just read an old thread from a couple years back on this same topic.

Of the games I've played...

Thief Dark Shadows-- The Shalebridge Cradle level. A masterpiece. How many years has it been since I played this? I remember every detail. Perfect design. Not worried about spoilers anymore, so I'll add that the entire first half of the mission was free of ANY enemies. But you don't know that. The designers masterfully used lighting and soundscape to twist your brain in knots. I did a quick search just now to see if anyone has ever written a tribute piece and found this from Polygon . One of the greatest levels in gaming for me.

And here is another piece written about this level. This one goes in to a great amount of depth. Very interesting if you recall this mission.

Thief Dark Project -- The Cathedral gave me the chills. This time you could see ghosts, but again, the sound design was amazing and made it quite scary for me. Hair raising

F.E.A.R -- Creepy little girls are uber frightening!

Subnautica -- A combination of depth, darkness and yep, sound design made some parts of Subnautica scary indeed.

Stalker -- Many of the underground levels were scary, at least the first time. Who wasn't frightened the first time a burer picked up a crate and telepathically hurled it at you while you had no idea what just did that?

Headcrabs -- To this day they are still the source of 90% of all jump scares in my gaming history. I bought Black Mesa just yesterday and they have lost that novelty. But back in the day? Always when least expected!

I've avoided games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Never played Alien Isolation. I bought Outcast years ago and don't play it. Darkwood too. I know those games will scare me smile
Posted By: Trooper117

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 08:32 PM

FEAR, Alien v Predator and Alien Isolation are three games that shook me up at times... I remember having to take frequent breaks, turning the lights back on just to calm down lol!
Posted By: BlueHeron

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 08:36 PM

I highly recommend Phasmophobia. I've played a lot of horror games, but nothing got under my skin like this one. The teamwork required really heightens the sense of reality. Plus it's just a really fun game to play with your chums.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 08:38 PM

Originally Posted by DBond


Stalker -- Many of the underground levels were scary, at least the first time. Who wasn't frightened the first time a burer picked up a crate and telepathically hurled it at you while you had no idea what just did that?



The scariest moment I've ever had in a videogame is when I was leaving one of those underground areas in Stalker, only to hear a high pitched noise as if my brain were melting, and turned around and saw this ghastly humanoid form at the far end of the narrow corridor trying to scramble my neurons.

That creeped the crap outta me.
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 09:46 PM

That's a Controller and those freaks are no joke Blastman.

I bet the one you are referring to was encountered in the Agroprom Underground.
Posted By: wormfood

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/25/21 11:56 PM

It wasn't a horror game, but the first level in the original Unreal (that's Unreal, not Unreal Tournament) was a good horror level. You wake up a on a crashed spaceship, bodies torn apart all over, great lighting and sound for the time. And again, no enemies, but you didn't know that at the time.

Metro 2033 had a few good moments in it.

Doom 3 may not have been much of a Doom game, but it was atmospheric and a bit more on the horror side. Again, excellent lighting and sound for the time. The original Half Life started out the same way as well. Just a regular guy on the job at a science facility, things go wrong and all hell breaks loose.
Posted By: Ajay

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 09:30 AM

There was some xbox crossover windows game deal last year and i grabbed the blair witch project for a dollar i think. Had some decent atmosphere but i only made it about halfway through before the puzzle side of it annoyed me and i dropped it.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
Alien Isolation is really good, but I can only handle the game in small doses. The intensity was so high I haven't gone back, and I made it about halfway through--just an uncomfortable feeling.



Yeah, the intensity for me was quite palatable but somehow I go through it and finished the game. It was brilliantly done.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by DBond
That's a Controller and those freaks are no joke Blastman.

I bet the one you are referring to was encountered in the Agroprom Underground.



Both the Stalker and Metro series had their scary moments for me but not quite on the same visceral level as Alien Isolation or Fear. And while Metro Exodus is a great game, it lost a lot of that tension and fear since most of it occurred outdoors and not in tight, dark and dilapidated underground tunnels.
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 01:18 PM

Yeah good shout on Metro. I agree with Panzer about Exodus and made the same point in my mini-review. The first two games were more so. The librarians from 2033. Hated that whole section lol. And in Last Light there's a spot where you need to cross some water. There's a friendly on the other side and he sends his boat over to get you, but it moves at a speed slow enough to raise the dramatic tension. Then you hear them. They are coming. Trapped now, the boat inching along it's path. Come on, come on! I felt it there. Not the only spots in those games like this, but a couple that stood out.

Has anyone here played Darkwood? I mentioned it above and bought it three years ago. Played for a bit, maybe an hour but didn't know what I should be doing. They say it's a scary game, and I can imagine it is. It's top-down, so you'd reckon it would have to be expertly done to also be frightening. It's Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam. I should give it another look.

Darkwood

A glaring omission from my earlier post is System Shock 2.

Several of the things I've listed share something in common. The sound design was done by Eric Brosius. Looking Glass was so good at this. They made great games, and the sound design was always amazing.


Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 06:27 PM

Originally Posted by DBond

Has anyone here played Darkwood?


A buddy of mine got it for me on my switch, and the game is really good. I haven't progressed far, yet, but scary for sure, and hard.
Posted By: SippyCup

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/26/21 11:38 PM

Outlast and Resident Evil 7 are scary but high stress. I don't recommend them unless you want the tension to be permanent. I prefer more of a balance with moments of quiet exploration throughout so my actual recommendations in no particular order (basically just some of my favorite games that had creepy elements) and not necessarily the "scariest" just the best:

Condemned: Criminal Origins is very creepy with a good story and fun combat.
DOOM 3 can be pretty scary at times. Great atmosphere.
Dead Space is a good balance of creepy and action with strong Event Horizon vibes.
Bioshock is very immersive and original with creepy overtones.
Dark Souls 3 has some very unnerving places if you don't mind the difficulty.
Thief: Deadly Shadows had some creepy parts and strong atmosphere. Great soundtrack too.
STALKER is amazing for so many reasons, and it has creepy parts.
SOMA has a disturbing story even if it's a bit predictable.
Firewatch was pretty eerie too, in a strange way.
The Long Dark can be a bit distressing at times but it's mostly a feeling of isolation.
Emulate the original Silent Hill for PS1, it's genuinely disturbing.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by SippyCup

The Long Dark can be a bit distressing at times but it's mostly a feeling of isolation.


This was one of my favorite games to play with my daughter. Scary, but a pretty good representation of survival in the wilderness.
Posted By: kilosierra

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 08:18 AM

System Shock 2

Man, whenever I heard these little apes..... exitstageleft
Posted By: Coot

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 09:51 AM

I loved Alien Isolation too. I hope to play it again soon since its been a few years. I also had a hard time playing the game because of how suffocating and anxiety inducing it was. I had to find tips and even come up with my own coping mechanisms to deal with it lol. I eventually got used to it though it does maintain excellent design throughout.

Its been awhile since I played it but I believe I'm on the last part of SOMA. That game almost scared me more than A.I. There's something more dreadful and depressing about that story line.

I've never gotten far in Stalker though I've played it off and on over the years. I felt the same way though about that Agroprom Underground humanoid. I had a friend actually warn me about the experience he had with that thing and how it scared him.

I think back when I played a demo of Wolfenstein 2001 and the intro of that game freaked me out.

I play Condemned Criminal Origins off and on and it definately has a creepy tone.

I've never gotten too far in FEAR yet.

When I played Alan Wake in 2010 on Xbox 360 I loved it but it was about the max kind of creepy I could handle.

I remember the first Metro 2033 could get creepy for me back when it was new to me.

Dragon's Dogma can get creepy. Its a game that really highlights what it must be like to fight evil creatures deep beneath the earth with only torch light like in a LOTR type fellowship.

Years ago I bought Demon Souls on PS3(precursor to all the Souls games)and I could not handle even the first boss not only because it was hard but because the world just felt like a godless realm of despair. I traded it back in. I'd love to try Dark Souls but I just can't handle excessively hard, skill based hectic, frantic, chaotic fights.

I have a game called Salt and Sanctuary. Its a cool game with a really nice aesthetic and creepy world. I've been stuck however for years in the game and can't progress. Its a difficult game as well as its easy to get lost.

I've never finished it but Penumbra is a scary little game.(Made by SOMA folks)

Cryostasis I have played off and on and it has a great, unique creepy atmosphere.

Dead Space was great.

Back in 2005, Half-Life 2's "We Don't Go to Ravenholm" scared me pretty good.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 11:29 AM

Originally Posted by Coot

Dead Space was great.






I played the entire Dead Space series and loved it. I think the original game was the scariest for me since I did not know what to expect at all when I first boarded that derelict ship....
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Coot


Dragon's Dogma can get creepy. Its a game that really highlights what it must be like to fight evil creatures deep beneath the earth with only torch light like in a LOTR type fellowship.




Several of the folks here have said good things about this game. I bought it years ago and had two aborted starts. Couldn't get going. I should give it one more go.

Earlier I said I bought Outcast years ago but don't play it. I mean Outlast, not Outcast.
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 05:56 PM

Originally Posted by Coot

Dragon's Dogma can get creepy. Its a game that really highlights what it must be like to fight evil creatures deep beneath the earth with only torch light like in a LOTR type fellowship.



DD is less about the creepy and more about the charm for myself.

There's no other game quite like it out there, actually, that captures that true "living party" feeling of playing with buddies, real time, except your party is AI, but with character.
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 06:25 PM

See, people love that game. I need to give it a proper go and fight through whatever makes me stop.
Posted By: SippyCup

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by DBond
See, people love that game. I need to give it a proper go and fight through whatever makes me stop.


I'm going to have to check it out myself... never heard of it before.

Side note, I just watched a video of it and noticed the music here is kind of similar to another game that was mentioned in this thread. I won't say which one, I want to see if anyone else thinks the same:

https://youtu.be/5TWDfltu6_w?t=194

(At 3:14)
Posted By: Mr_Blastman

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/27/21 07:29 PM

My only complaint about DD is I wanted the world bigger with even more to do. I have 114 hours in the game on Steam, btw.




SippyCup - it is definitely a different experience than Dark Souls, but not in a bad way. DD isn't nearly as hard, but imagine playing D&D around a table with friends, except you aren't at a table and everyone is in the videogame playing together.
Posted By: Coot

Re: Horror/Scary games - 01/29/21 11:10 AM

I have 100 hours in DD but I don't think I'm anywhere near the end. I have not played it in a couple of years now though I've been wanting to start it up again. That hundred hours doesn't even include the expansion which I've never tried yet. One of my favorite things about the game is the Pawn party system. I love not being alone in a creepyish fantasy world and that your three companions have charming, though sometimes over used dialogue and that they actually help in in combat. I also love that they let you climb on giant creatures which really makes it feel like LOTR movie fights. You can even grab a harpy and it will soar up into the air with you.

It definately has its bizarre aspects and quirks and it did take me awhile to get into it Dbond. I first played it some on Xbox 360 but very little. Poor fps along with the game's kind of notorious terrible night time artificial screen shroud thing made it rough so I never played it much. I finally got into it on PC where it runs as at an excellent 60fps. Unfortunately the shroud is still there. I also love how the game gives the player a working lantern and in this game it is often needed.

I would love to dive into the eerie world of Dark Souls but I think it would be just too difficult for me and maybe creepy. I tried Demon Souls on PS3 once and never got passed the first boss.




I played a good chunk of Beyond Two Souls on PS3 and it has some real spooky moments.

Alien Colonial Marines is pretty good modded with good atmosphere but not like the excellence of Alien Isolation.

Kind of a weird suggestion here is an indie game demo. I can't remember the name of the game but you start the game at night in the middle of nowhere in a car and without any means of navigation, you have to find you way to an exit. You end up driving around country roads and streets. At some point when you find your way to this Hydro Dam facility or something of the sort, if you look carefully, you will see silhouettes of men inside the building start to run and before you know it, inexplicably they are in a car, headlights turning on and they start chasing you. I think the music gets tense and you have to try to loose them. I got spun out and they approach the car and the game ends. Its really done quite well and it shows how creepy a minimalist concept can be.
Posted By: SippyCup

Re: Horror/Scary games - 02/01/21 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by Mr_Blastman
it is definitely a different experience than Dark Souls, but not in a bad way. DD isn't nearly as hard, but imagine playing D&D around a table with friends, except you aren't at a table and everyone is in the videogame playing together.


Different than Dark Souls is fine with me, there are times when I don't feel like punishing myself. biggrin
Looks like it could be fun. Not normally my kind of thing but then again I thought that about Dark Souls before taking the plunge, I'll likely check it out in the coming months.

I'm glad to report I forgot almost every detail since my first playthrough so get the enjoyment of being a noob exploring all over again but with muscle memory. It's even more enjoyable this time around. Couple of screens from today:

Just finished High Lord Wolnir fight:

[Linked Image]

Messed up while fighting Yhorm The Giant, barely got it done... check out my health bar.

[Linked Image]


For those who haven't played it: It's definitely a creepy game with jump scares (especially if you get complacent) but mostly exciting / stressful. Well worth the time invested and it's beautiful in its own way, and very immersive.
Posted By: PanzerMeyer

Re: Horror/Scary games - 02/01/21 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Coot


Alien Colonial Marines is pretty good modded with good atmosphere but not like the excellence of Alien Isolation.
.



I bought this for 5 bucks and it was fun in cooperative mode. I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it though.
Posted By: DBond

Re: Horror/Scary games - 02/01/21 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by Coot
I have 100 hours in DD


Thanks Coot for this post, don't know how I missed it. I saw last night that I still have DD installed and intend to give it another go. The comments from players make it sound really good.
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